I have noticed that the bridge pick up along with the bridge and the stop bar tail piece are mounted really high up. Looking at a lot of older LP's I noticed the bridge pick up is usually flush with the plastic ring.
Why is this?
I noticed my string action is a little high and would like to lower it a tad.
I have been researching and found that wrapping the strings over the stop bar will allow me to lower the bridge and the stop bar.
Would this be beneficial?

The "setup" from the factory is very generic, if at all.
So move it flush, if that is what you like.
Listen to it before you start fiddling with pickup height etc.

As to the action, just lower it. If there is buzzing, then you'll contend with that issue when it arises.
I don't top wrap, but that is just me.
(Actually the PRS is top wrapped, I guess - one piece tail/bridge)

most of us like to tinker around with our own guitars around here, though I must admit that bridge pickup is unusually high. Did it come in an unopened box? Gibson has certain specs that each guitar leaves the factory with and that's not it. Their specs though aren't meant to be kept, you can adjust it and it is often advised to adjust it. I was just tinker around with my neck pickup it was really bass'y now its right at the sweet spot. I don't find the tailpiece too high as it comes from the factory, but you will see many Les Paul legends slam it down to the bottom. Maybe I'll get to that point, but I am just not there yet. Alright, I'm going off to tinker with the bridge pickup. I'll lower it about 4mm and play with the pole piece to find their sweet spots. My advice is to keep the pole piece high on the g string...

Aretha and my kittehs ask that you back up your bull**** statement with something other than your flapping yap.

Ain't gonna happen, is it?

if you knew all of the issues i have had with a recently purchased Firebird you would shut the hell up for once! Maybe it is you that needs to shut the hell up and stop flappin your yap-- i didn't make that statement about gibson quality for nothing--- i own a ton of gibson's and it is my main brand of guitar, but man---
how some of those guitars leave the factory is beyond me--

__________________
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if you knew all of the issues i have had with a recently purchased Firebird you would shut the hell up for once! Maybe it is you that needs to shut the hell up and stop flappin your yap-- i didn't make that statement about gibson quality for nothing--- i own a ton of gibson's and it is my main brand of guitar, but man---
how some of those guitars leave the factory is beyond me--

if you knew all of the issues i have had with a recently purchased Firebird you would shut the hell up for once! Maybe it is you that needs to shut the hell up and stop flappin your yap-- i didn't make that statement about gibson quality for nothing--- i own a ton of gibson's and it is my main brand of guitar, but man---
how some of those guitars leave the factory is beyond me--

You can't buy a gibson guitar straight from their factory, you got to buy it from a dealer. This **** about, "omg I can't believe Gibson sent my guitar with my pickup to high", is bull****. If it sits in a store or warehouse anything can happen to the guitar before its sent to the customer. That goes for dents and ****ty setups too.

I'm just saying a lot of the "QC" complaints I see on this forum can be blamed on the dealer, not Gibson. This, IMO, is another scenario where it's impossible to tell where the ****ty setup originated from.

if you knew all of the issues i have had with a recently purchased Firebird you would shut the hell up for once! Maybe it is you that needs to shut the hell up and stop flappin your yap-- i didn't make that statement about gibson quality for nothing--- i own a ton of gibson's and it is my main brand of guitar, but man---
how some of those guitars leave the factory is beyond me--

You mean some static and a pot that's not quite right on a previously returned guitar?

__________________Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world...

I've had all my axes set up by a pro. Every one of my Gibsons started out with the bridge pup closer to the strings than the neck pup. When they came back from the tech they were the same. And he's done things like leveling out the neck pup on a couple of them, so he was looking at pup height. I've wondered the same thing, but never asked because the sound is fine the way it is and the pup isn't in the way...

So, to the OP I don't know why it's like that. However, I think there must be some rationale for that kind of setup.

This might be a little pricey to some but I picked up a copy and it provided a lot of insight into basic through advanced set ups. Most of the stuff you can find online but if you do some research and be careful when attempting any maintenance you should be able to make just about any guitar playable. Not the end all be all to guitar repair like it claims to be but its up there with valuable knowledge and tips. Dan Earlewine is also at stewmac.com also. Lots of tips there as well.

Oh yeah, if you need help seek out a pro. Every tech or repair man does things differently to try to find one who can set up your guitar to suit your own style.

I went to adjust my pickups on my 2012 and the bridge was up high yo the string much like yours. Mine was new in the box, I was a bit surprised. It even sounded ok, but they needed adjust. The magnets have an undesirable effect on the strings and after adjusting them they sound much sweeter now.

Why is everybody piss and vinegar over height adjustments ? Geez we all play differently, just learn to set it up the way you like it and GET ON WITH IT !

screw drivers, thumbwheels..pfft..can't have none of that going on, Gbson sucks, they should build them right so you wouldn't have to adjust nothing

I find it funny how a guitar can sit on GC's shelves, with tons of idoits pawing over them for god knows how long before it sells an its Gibsons ****ty QC. Like the snot nosed kid who fell face first in a tackle box tuned to low negative G tuning, adjusted up the bridge because too much play in the strings that loose/tuned so low had not a thing to do with it.

Some folks should get a pro set up BEFORE they leave the store if at all possible. Its not rocket science setting up a guitar to you preference but if you can't do it, pay someone who can and quit complaining about petty personal preference **** that is easily rectified without involving Gibson.

Your set up looks completely normal to me, typical of a USA Standard. The pup rings on modern Standards are shorter than reissue/historic rings (or vintage rings) where the pup sits at the same height but is still flush due to the higher pup rings.

There is a difference between buying an expansive guitar and knowing how to own an expensive guitar.

Buying an expansive guitar is like buying an expensive suit. Get it taylored to you. Spend the extra $ to get it set up for YOUR playing style. It's the same as having a suit tailored to your body shape.

After you have it set up to YOUR playing style (This means dont just tell the tech to "make it as low as posible". Have him observe your playing style, and what pick you use, and your picking attack...etc). Then you need to learn how to maintain your instrument properly. Buy a humidifier for the winter months to avoid wood cracks and shrinking fingerboards, and thus fret end cracks.

Understand that Gibson's set up spec is very general. It has to be, and it is not a one size fits all solution, but expecting it to be and publically complaining about it tells the community that you need some help learning how to own an expensive guitar, and we are here to help.

Imagine seeing something like this on a Ferrari website:
RE: Why did my drivers seat come adjusted so poorly?
I bought a new 2012 Ferrari and I noticed that the drivers seat is way too high when compared to pictures of other Ferrari seats I have seen.

Why is this?

OK so that's an extreme example but my point is that there is a difference between buying a Ferrari and being a Ferrari owner. An educated Ferrari owner has the best Ferrari mechanic he can find and uses the mechaninc for regualr tuneups and maintenance.

if you knew all of the issues i have had with a recently purchased Firebird you would shut the hell up for once! Maybe it is you that needs to shut the hell up and stop flappin your yap-- i didn't make that statement about gibson quality for nothing--- i own a ton of gibson's and it is my main brand of guitar, but man---
how some of those guitars leave the factory is beyond me--

Did you order them directly from Gibson, or pick them up at a dealer where the dealer could have done something to mess with them.

If River's Melody Maker V came with little issues, I find it odd how expensive guitars like your Firebird would have an issue, unless it was because of the company that was holding the guitar.

A lot of times, people heighten their bridge pickup because it makes it sound a bit "hotter". Alot of guitars ive seen have had a much higher bridge pickup. Granted, yours seems a little extreme, same with the tailpiece, but I wouldn't worry so much about who or what did it, just get a screwdriver and lower it if you don't like it.

__________________“I can communicate far better on a guitar than I can through my mouth.”-Jimmy Page